Collin McHugh (5-4, 4.82 ERA) and Kendall Graveman (2-6, 5.09 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Houston Astros (26-30) and the Oakland Athletics (25-30) at Minute Maid Park. The Astros won the last game 12-2, and Houston leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 4:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 4 and can be seen on RTSW and CSCA.
McHugh pitched 9.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering three runs, striking out eight and walking one in an 8-3 win over the Diamondbacks. George Springer (.292, 36 Rs, 13 HRs, 35 RBIs, 3 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 5 with one run and one RBI. Graveman went 6.0 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out five and walking three in a 3-2 win over the Twins in his last outing. Khris Davis (.238, 22 Rs, 14 HRs, 36 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday.
The odds for Houston and Oakland are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. Within its division, Houston has a record of 9-9 SU. The Astros have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 0.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 0.0 runs per game. Houston leads the MLB in steals, swiping 47 bases. As for the Houston defense and pitching staff, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score runs against the Astros. The 3.6 runs that Houston’s pitchers allow per home game makes them the fifth-ranked AL staff at home. The Astros are the top team in the AL at limiting walks during home games, allowing only 2.2 walks per contest to their opponents this season.
The Athletics are 6-13 against AL West rivals. Offensively, the Athletics have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. The Athletics allow 0.0 runs per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 0.0 runs per game during that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU
Notes
The Astros won their last game by a 10-run margin. In games decided by a margin of 10 runs or more, the Athletics are 0-3. The Astros are 2-3 in blowouts this season.
The Astros are coming into this matchup after a high-scoring game where they scored a whopping 12 runs. The Athletics have a 0-5 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they are outhit, the Athletics are 5-26. The Astros have a 5-25 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking 16th in home runs, Oakland has hit 58 this season. Houston ranks ninth with 70 home runs.
Ranking 23rd, Houston is near the bottom of the league in hits, notching 8.00 per game. Oakland ranks in the bottom half at 16th with 8.54.
Ranking 23rd, Oakland is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.701). Houston ranks in the bottom half at 18th with an OPS of .726.
The Athletics are 9-25 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Astros are 18-21 when they allow at least one homer.
